Chapter Summaries

Sky-Piercing Blackwood completed its evolution into the Holy Spirit Race, became Demonwood Half-Saint, and displayed its power by elevating three near-emperors and defeating or subduing five Beast Emperors. After thanking Xu Ran, it explained the Holy Spirit Race’s attributes and skills, leaving him and his Contract Beasts with a clearer understanding of the path to Saint Spirit Rank.

• Sky-Piercing Blackwood shed its dead bark, gained the Holy Spirit Life Wheel and Order attribute, and transformed into Demonwood Half-Saint.
• Demonwood Half-Saint used its power of order to break the advancement bottlenecks of Ten-Thousand-Year Rock Turtle, Dark Abyss Bear Emperor, and Gilt Azure Dragon, raising them to Beast Emperor Rank.
• Demonwood Half-Saint killed Blazing Crow Emperor and Golden Dragon Emperor, then made the other three Beast Emperors submit and surrender portions of their origin power.
• Demonwood Half-Saint invited Xu Ran to the Core Region and thanked him for protecting the creatures during its evolution; Xu Ran declined a reward and asked about the Holy Spirit Race.
• Demonwood Half-Saint demonstrated that its Order attribute could overpower Can Can’s strongest attack, then explained that Holy Spirit Race skills did not gain five stars and that fusing all Innate Skills with the Holy Spirit Life Wheel led to Saint Spirit Rank.

Xu Ran received an Order Insignia from Demonwood Half-Saint and left the rebuilding Demonwood Domain to seek the Extinction Thunder Guide and open a Starfire Foster Shop branch in Minghui City. After meeting Vice President Liu and inspecting a prime storefront, he set out to meet its owner for approval.

• Demonwood Half-Saint explained that Holy Spirit creatures fused their Innate Skills to grow stronger and gave Xu Ran an Order Insignia, explaining how its rules worked.
• Demonwood Half-Saint began restoring the ruined Demonwood Domain, while Xu Ran and the Three Little Ones departed for Minghui City and stopped at Falling Thunder Valley, where the Extinction Thunder Guide remained hidden.
• Xu Ran entered Minghui City, completed his transfer procedures, and told Vice President Liu about the Demonwood Domain before revealing he planned to open a fourth Starfire Foster Shop branch.
• Vice President Liu recommended Bright Avenue, and Zhang Li showed Xu Ran the seven-story Dawn No. 1 Building, which its owner would sell only to someone he approved.
• Xu Ran asked Zhang Li to take him to meet the owner, and she knocked on the building's closed door.

Xu Ran entered Minghui City’s Contract Beast Grooming Exhibition to prove his skill and qualify to buy Dawn Building No. 1, but drew a remote grooming room and struggled to attract customers. As Qiu Yue explored the venue for a skilled groomer, she noticed an astonishingly groomed Contract Beast leaving Xu Ran’s room.

• Zhao Henian told Xu Ran that Dawn Building No. 1 would go only to the best in their field who operated a single establishment in Minghui City, and Xu Ran agreed to prove himself at the upcoming grooming exhibition.
• After two days in Minghui City, Xu Ran and the Three Little Ones arrived at the exhibition, where Can Can drew a remote Grooming Room and Xu Ran named it Starfire Foster Shop.
• Xu Ran began grooming with Purple Cloud assisting and Starlight supplying him with power, while Can Can tried to attract customers outside.
• Jiang Min lined up for Du Qi'an, while Qiu Yue searched the exhibition for a less crowded groomer and headed toward Liu Cang’s room after seeing a satisfied customer leave.
• Qiu Yue heard someone praise Boss Xu and saw a Contract Beast emerge from Xu Ran’s room looking so well groomed that she was stunned.

Xu Ran groomed Qiu Yue’s Rosyflame Demon Fox and Vitality Dog, earning multiple skills and suspecting Qiu Yue was a lucky customer who could boost his draws. Qiu Yue’s transformed beasts drew attention at the exhibition, and Du Qi'an hurried to confirm that Starfire Foster Shop had groomed them.

• Xu Ran welcomed Qiu Yue and groomed her Rosyflame Demon Fox, whose system evaluation hinted at an unexpected reward.
• Xu Ran gained two fire-element skills from the Rosyflame Demon Fox and suspected Qiu Yue herself was unusually lucky after her Vitality Dog received the same evaluation.
• Xu Ran groomed Qiu Yue’s Vitality Dog and gained two more skills, then took photos with Qiu Yue because he believed she was Minghui City’s Koi.
• Qiu Yue realized Xu Ran had said his shop would open in Dawn Building No. 1, a building designed by her maternal grandfather.
• Qiu Yue showed Jiang Min her freshly groomed Contract Beasts, prompting several people to leave Du Qi'an’s line and seek out Starfire Foster Shop.
• Du Qi'an approached Qiu Yue, admired her Contract Beasts, and reacted with disbelief when she confirmed Xu Ran had groomed them.

At the Minghui City Contract Beast Grooming Exhibition, Du Qi'an sent customers to Xu Ran’s Starfire Foster Shop after recognizing it as the shop his sister had praised. Xu Ran’s growing line impressed nearby groomer Liu Cang, and Du Qi'an later found Xu Ran still grooming customers late into the night.

• Du Qi'an refused Jiang Min’s request to cut in line, then recommended Starfire Foster Shop to the waiting crowd.
• Remembering his sister Du Huayan’s letter about Xu Ran’s remarkable grooming skills, Du Qi'an decided to share customers with him and compete on their merits.
• Xu Ran received the customers Du Qi'an sent and groomed a Flying Sickle Weasel while suspecting Du Qi'an was Du Huayan’s younger brother.
• Liu Cang saw Xu Ran’s long line and admired the transformed Mysterious Flower Demon Deer, then gave up on competing for the Grooming Master title.
• Xu Ran continued grooming through the night as Du Qi'an came across the still-busy Starfire Foster Shop.

Xu Ran continued grooming customers after the exhibition ended and won the Grooming Master title without attending its ceremony. He bought Dawn Building No. 1, renovated it into a Starfire Foster Shop branch, and prepared to open in Minghui City.

• Xu Ran kept grooming customers for free after the exhibition bell, while Du Qi'an and the other groomers went to the awards ceremony.
• The Association announced Xu Ran as the Grooming Master, but he remained at his Grooming Room to finish serving customers; Du Qi'an and the others arrived after he had left.
• Xu Ran visited Zhao Henian to buy Dawn Building No. 1, and Qiu Yue revealed that Zhao was her grandfather and persuaded him to lower the price to four hundred million.
• Xu Ran completed the purchase, and the system renovated Dawn Building No. 1 into a Starfire Foster Shop branch.
• Xu Ran checked the branch quest, saw Minghui City's reputation progress at 0.2/50, and announced that the shop would open the next day.

Xu Ran opened the Starfire Foster Shop in Dawn Building No. 1 and attracted customers with his award-winning grooming. After Zhang Peng and Du Zhou brought in their contract beasts, Xu Ran noticed their unusual run of Three-Star Skills and began to suspect the Azure-Eyed Thunder Serpent held a clue.

• Zhang Peng told Du Zhou that Xu Ran had won the Grooming Master title and opened the Starfire Foster Shop in Dawn Building No. 1.
• Xu Ran displayed his Grooming Master banner as Zhang Peng arrived with his ungroomed super-large Azure-Eyed Thunder Serpent.
• Xu Ran groomed the Azure-Eyed Thunder Serpent, and its transformed appearance convinced Du Zhou to have all four of his contract beasts groomed.
• Xu Ran groomed Du Zhou's four contract beasts, and each one yielded a Three-Star Skill, though testing Du Zhou revealed poor luck in a ten-pull.
• Xu Ran noticed that the Azure-Eyed Thunder Serpent had also yielded a Three-Star Skill and formed a bold hypothesis.

Xu Ran discovered that Dawn Building No. 1 boosted the chance of obtaining three-star skills through Fur Plucking, though it did not improve his ten-draws. After the Beast Tamer Association publicized Starfire Foster Shop’s address, a crowd gathered outside the shop the next morning.

• Xu Ran groomed a Beaded Flower Snake and obtained the three-star Heart-Confusing Brand, further testing his theory that Dawn Building No. 1 had koi luck.
• Du Qi'an learned that Starfire Foster Shop had opened and asked the Beast Tamer Association to add its address to the grooming exhibition announcement.
• Xu Ran confirmed that the building increased his chances of obtaining three-star skills from monarch species, and he planned daily trips with his contract beasts to inspect Falling Thunder Valley.
• The Beast Tamer Association discovered that Starfire Foster Shop had been registered after its first announcement and published a supplementary notice about the shop.
• Xu Ran woke to find the Three Little Ones exhausted from training, then opened the shop to a crowd of returning and new customers drawn by the Association's announcement.

Xu Ran groomed a Two-Headed Flame Crow whose conflicting consciousnesses had made grooming difficult, while Du Qi'an observed and exchanged techniques with him. Xu Ran's methods won over both heads, and his fire-attribute bath oil triggered a startling reaction as it seemed to cleanse and nourish the beast.

• Xu Ran summoned Starlight to help with the busy shop, then welcomed Du Qi'an, who asked to observe his grooming techniques.
• Du Qi'an warned Xu Ran that the burly man's Two-Headed Flame Crow had two consciousnesses that often clashed, and the owner agreed to let them discuss its grooming as a case study.
• Xu Ran used Harmonizing Stone in the bathing solution and explained to Du Qi'an how it could temper agitation and ease conflicts between attributes.
• Xu Ran washed and massaged the Two-Headed Flame Crow until its resistant second head began to enjoy the grooming alongside the first.
• Xu Ran applied special fire-element bath oil, causing the Two-Headed Flame Crow's flames and power to surge as its Beast Tamer watched in astonishment.

Xu Ran resolved the Two-Headed Flame Crow’s conflicting consciousnesses through grooming, then bought an Adventure Map and set out with his three Contract Beasts to investigate Thunder Mountain. He hoped to learn more about the Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King before the Extinction Thunder Guide emerged, and the group approached the mountain under cover of Starlight’s concealment.

• Xu Ran groomed Zhou Zhu’s Two-Headed Flame Crow, harmonizing its consciousnesses and purifying its Fire-Type Power.
• Du Qi'an demonstrated the Du Family’s grooming techniques at Xu Ran’s shop before leaving, and Xu Ran closed up for the day.
• Xu Ran bought an intermediate Adventure Map from the Beast Tamer Association and spoke with Liu Kuang, who advised him to focus on raising his Contract Beasts.
• Xu Ran left Minghui City with Purple Cloud, Can Can, and Starlight, then chose to investigate Thunder Mountain rather than head directly to Falling Thunder Valley.
• Xu Ran explained that the Thunderwave Bats on Thunder Mountain might be connected to the Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King and planned to weaken that Beast King before the Extinction Thunder Guide appeared.
• Starlight concealed Xu Ran and the three beasts as they silently approached Thunder Mountain to investigate.

Xu Ran and his three beasts tracked the Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King from Thunder Mountain toward Falling Thunder Valley, then set an ambush in a deserted valley. As the unsuspecting king approached, Xu Ran combined his strength with Starlight and Purple Cloud and struck with a lightning-edged saber.

• Xu Ran and the three little ones secretly scouted Thunder Mountain, found the Thunderwave Bat nest, and saw the Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King return to its clan and reunite with the Heavenly Thunder Mystic Bat Queen.
• Xu Ran judged that their combined abilities could challenge the king and decided to ambush it along the route to Falling Thunder Valley, where it watched over the Extinction Thunder Guide.
• The Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King left its clan for what it expected to be its final two months of guarding the Extinction Thunder Guide before it awakened.
• Can Can used Earth Vein Resonance to clear nearby creatures from the valley while Xu Ran meditated and Starlight watched for the king.
• When Starlight spotted the approaching Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King, Xu Ran merged strength with Starlight and Purple Cloud, and Can Can prepared to support them.
• Xu Ran swung Purple Cloud as a saber and sent a lightning-edged slash toward the unsuspecting Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King.

Xu Ran and the Three Little Ones ambushed and killed the Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King to claim its resource, while the Thunder-Patterned Golden Willow began accelerating the Extinction Thunder Guide’s emergence. The next morning, Xu Ran accepted a request from Song Xuan to groom all 178 Contract Beasts at her breeding base, planning to wait until his recognition target was reached before delegating the job.

• Xu Ran and the Three Little Ones ambushed the Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King, injuring it and then defeating it in a prolonged fight.
• Xu Ran killed the Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King, gave its resource to Purple Cloud, and had Can Can bury its remains.
• The Thunder-Patterned Golden Willow sensed the Heavenly Thunder Black Bat King’s death and began draining power from the Extinction Thunder Guide to hasten its emergence within a month.
• Xu Ran returned to the Starfire Foster Shop and opened it as usual the next morning.
• Song Xuan asked Xu Ran to groom all 178 Contract Beasts at Green Sprout Contract Beast Breeding Base, and he agreed to take the job.

Xu Ran visited Green Sprout Contract Beast Breeding Base with his three contract beasts and discovered that its animals displayed unusual behaviors that were actually ways of maintaining their condition. He realized Song Xuan had not taught them these habits and began to suspect that the beasts had developed them by living freely.

• Xu Ran decided to visit Green Sprout Contract Beast Breeding Base with the three little ones, reassuring them that Twelve would take the fourth contract slot.
• Xu Ran learned from a boy and his father that Green Sprout's contract beasts behaved strangely, then recognized that several of their habits had practical purposes.
• Song Xuan showed Xu Ran an injured Blue-Spotted Cat she had rescued from Wind and Cloud Base, where Gale Apes had been allowed to bully it.
• Xu Ran explained how the Windbreaker Eagles and Wind God Deer maintained their own condition through their odd flight and antler movements, surprising Song Xuan.
• Song Xuan told Xu Ran that she did not teach the contract beasts at Green Sprout anything and simply let them live on their own, leading him to suspect he had identified the expert behind their habits.

Xu Ran visited Green Sprout's Fire Element section with Song Xuan and explained the unusual behaviors of its Contract Beasts. After Starlight encouraged the lonely mutated Fire-Tailed Bear known as Number Six, Xu Ran offered to take it in, and Number Six agreed to leave with him.

• Song Xuan recorded Xu Ran's explanations for the Lava-Melting Turtles' shell-clearing play and the Fire-Tailed Bears' tail-rubbing behavior.
• The Beast Tamers visiting the Fire-Tailed Bears became alarmed by their awkward tail-rubbing, and the father and son left without choosing one.
• Starlight befriended Number Six and encouraged it to embrace its differences by sharing its own past.
• Number Six revealed that it could ignite its ears and leave flames burning on stone, and Xu Ran's appraisal identified it as a mutated Fire-Eared Bear with greater potential and an uncertain evolution path.
• Xu Ran offered to take Number Six to his Boarding Shop, and Song Xuan let it go with him without charge.
• Xu Ran asked Number Six to leave with him, and Number Six agreed.

Xu Ran brought Number Six from the Green Sprout Contract Beast Breeding Base to his shop, where he groomed him and named him Firefly. After creating a volcanic habitat for Firefly in the Boarding Area, Xu Ran learned that the bear’s mutation had given him the powerful skill Undying Burning Flame and upgraded Sky-Burning Strike to Sky-Scorching Dance.

• Xu Ran finished examining the base’s Contract Beasts, arranged to groom the ones with the most urgent needs, and left with Number Six.
• At the Starfire Foster Shop, Xu Ran groomed Number Six, whose fur and ears improved, and discovered the previously unknown skill Undying Burning Flame.
• Number Six accepted Xu Ran’s offer of a new name and became Firefly.
• Xu Ran used the Control Hub to build a volcanic habitat in the Boarding Area, and Firefly excitedly explored his new home.
• Firefly demonstrated Flame Eyes, Flame Body, Sky-Scorching Dance, Undying Burning Flame, and Fire Repelling, revealing his mutation’s unusual skills.
• After Starlight helped Firefly recover from using Undying Burning Flame, Xu Ran welcomed him into his new home.

Xu Ran opened Starfire Foster Shop’s boarding service with Zong Hua’s Silver-Whisker King, though he was puzzled when it produced no happiness points. Meanwhile, the Nightmare Beast King offered Twelve an evolution, but her refusal and Little Sixteen’s revelations exposed her secret search for materials for a different evolution path.

• Xu Ran showed Zong Hua the Boarding Area, customized an exclusive living space for the Silver-Whisker King, and accepted it as Starfire Foster Shop’s first paying boarder.
• Xu Ran saw through Starlight’s senses that Firefly was training at the volcano with Purple Cloud and Can Can, then discovered that the Silver-Whisker King had earned no happiness points from boarding.
• After Beast Domain No. 97’s other Beast Kings submitted, the Nightmare Beast King approved dream-weaving silk for Little Sixteen and decided to arrange Twelve’s evolution into a Nightmare Demon Kite.
• Twelve refused to evolve and claimed she would wait until all her skills reached Full Moon Level, prompting the Nightmare Beast King to agree to her condition.
• Little Sixteen gave Twelve the dream-weaving silk and revealed that Twelve had also asked her to find the Dreamweaver’s Shadow, leading the Nightmare Beast King to demand an explanation.

The Nightmare Beast King doubted Twelve’s claim that Xu Ran had a powerful Velvet Sparrow evolution route, but the Deep-Sleep Bird route convinced it to seek him out. After learning Xu Ran was in Cloud-Gathering City, it returned to Qingzhou City, where its message reached Xu Ran just as he completed his branch quest and hired three clerks.

• The Nightmare Beast King questioned Twelve’s claim until she recited the Deep-Sleep Bird evolution route, leaving it unable to find any flaw except the seemingly impossible requirement to raise skills before evolution.
• The Nightmare Beast King flew with Twelve to Qingzhou City, but Gu Wu and He Nian told it that Xu Ran was in Cloud-Gathering City, so it ordered Xu Ran to visit or lose the chance to contract with Twelve.
• The Nightmare Beast King returned with Twelve and declared it would provide her evolution materials itself, while Twelve realized her father might be jealous.
• Xu Ran fed Firefly and the Silver-Whisker King, remained puzzled by the latter’s lack of Happiness Points, and completed the Minghui City branch quest.
• Xu Ran summoned three system clerks and assigned one as shop manager, then received Tony’s call saying the Nightmare Beast King had demanded to see him.

Xu Ran returned to Qingzhou City and met the Nightmare Beast King in Beast Domain No. 97, where he proved his skill advancement ability and earned permission to contract with Twelve. The Nightmare Beast King provided Twelve’s evolution materials and offered the creatures needed for her evolution ritual, leaving Xu Ran to raise her innate skills’ star ratings.

• Xu Ran took the Three Little Ones to Falling Thunder Valley, where Purple Cloud sensed that the Extinction Thunder Guide would emerge in about a month, and they left without confronting the Thunder-Patterned Golden Willow.
• Xu Ran and the Three Little Ones returned to Qingzhou City and entered Beast Domain No. 97, where the Nightmare Beast King ordered the other powerful creatures to let them pass.
• Twelve reunited with Xu Ran, and the Nightmare Beast King asked whether Xu Ran could raise one of Twelve’s skills to three stars before agreeing to their contract.
• Xu Ran demonstrated Starlight, Purple Cloud, and Can Can using four-star skills, convincing the Nightmare Beast King to approve his contract with Twelve.
• Xu Ran contracted with Twelve, and the Nightmare Beast King supplied her evolution materials, psychic-element monarch-rank blood essence, and an offer to gather wild creatures for her evolution ritual.
• The Nightmare Beast King asked Xu Ran to raise the star ratings of Twelve’s innate skills.

Xu Ran and the Nightmare Beast King helped Twelve advance all five of her skills to three stars, revealing powerful new abilities that astonished the king. With the evolution ritual prepared, Twelve began her evolution into a Deep-Sleep Bird.

• Xu Ran used a Three-Star Skill Scroll and Skill Fusion Stones to upgrade Twelve’s five skills, with Purple Cloud and Starlight lending resources.
• Twelve demonstrated Phantom of Illusion and Reality, Soul-Tethered Command, Soul-Severing Sound, and her enhanced illusion, while Starlight’s Star-Repelling Ring dispelled the illusion.
• Twelve revealed that Heart Tide could connect the perceptions of willing creatures, and the Nightmare Beast King realized it could combine with Soul-Tethered Command to make her exceptionally powerful.
• The Nightmare Beast King gathered and hypnotized thousands of Supernatural Creatures, then prepared an evolution ritual for Twelve.
• Xu Ran and the Three Little Ones encouraged Twelve, and she stepped onto the platform as her evolution began.

Twelve completed her evolution into a Deep-Sleep Bird after using Heart Tide to gather and devour the dreams of ten thousand sleepers. The Nightmare Beast King entrusted her to Xu Ran, then warned that humans might prevent his plan for peaceful coexistence between humans and creatures in Beast Domain No. 97.

• Twelve swallowed the evolution materials and her father's blood essence, whose power suppressed the conflicting energies and helped her survive.
• Xu Ran guided Twelve to draw dream power through sleepers' eyes, and Twelve used Heart Tide to connect their dreams and absorb the power of ten thousand creatures.
• Twelve evolved into a Deep-Sleep Bird, reached Commander Rank, and gained Endless Deep Sleep, a skill that could put even the Nightmare Beast King to sleep briefly.
• The Nightmare Beast King entrusted Twelve to Xu Ran and promised she could always return home.
• Xu Ran proposed that the Nightmare Beast King lead peaceful coexistence between humans and creatures in Beast Domain No. 97, but the Nightmare Beast King said the obstacle was the humans.